Although the introduction of new technology in health care is crucial for advancing patient care, unintended consequences are a well-recognized safety challenge. In the field of surgery, innovation ranges from small improvements to drastic change, but there is no clearly established model for evaluating proposed innovations. This study examined the impact of a team of surgical quality officers and perioperative nurses tasked with reviewing proposed surgical innovations, including novel devices and procedures at a single cancer center. Investigators found that compared to the prior processes in place, this team evaluated new products more quickly, decreased the time between product proposal and the intraoperative trial if necessary, and reduced the rate of device-related complications from 10% to 0%. A past PSNet perspective discussed the evolution of patient safety in the field of surgery.

This prospective study found no additional risk of complications or mortality in cardiac surgery patients when the attending surgeon was sleep deprived (defined as less than 6 hours of sleep the night prior to the procedure). This finding contradicts the results of an earlier study in general surgery patients.

Journal Article > Study

This study reports on the development of a standardized tool to assess the quality of handoffs. The tool was used to evaluate handoffs in the emergency department, operating room, and general hospital wards.